- Honda may revive the discontinued Element as an affordable hybrid, Automotive News reports.
- The new model would slot between the HR-V and CR-V, priced around $30,000 to $35,000.
- Honda declined to confirm the plan, calling it speculation about future products.
Honda is reportedly planning to bring back the Element, the boxy compact SUV it discontinued in 2011, this time as an affordable hybrid, according to Automotive News.
Citing inside sources, Automotive News says Honda aims to launch the revived model in 2029 as a competitor to the Ford Bronco Sport. The new hybrid would slot between the HR-V and CR-V in Honda’s lineup, with a starting price expected in the $30,000 to $35,000 range.
The report also says Honda plans to build the vehicle at its Ohio factory and hopes to sell roughly 100,000 units in the first full year.
Honda has not confirmed the plan. Reached for comment by Engadget, a company spokesperson responded with this statement:
“The Honda Element has maintained a cult following since it was discontinued in 2011, and hopes for its possible return continue to circulate online. We sincerely appreciate the enthusiasm for the Element, but we are not going to engage in speculation about our future product plans.”
The original Element ran from 2003 to 2011 and built a cult following, prized for a wipe-clean interior with no carpet and a versatile rear seat that folds flat, flips to the sides or removes entirely. If it returns, it would signal a shift to more rugged, smaller compact SUVs. Honda already offers TrailSport trims of the CR-V and Passport, along with more rugged versions of the Pilot and Ridgeline.
A revived Element would fit Honda’s broader shift toward hybrids. As CBT News has reported, Honda has extended the lifecycles of five core models while leaning into hybrid powertrains, and the automaker scrapped three U.S. EV models earlier this year amid a roughly $10 billion writedown.
